The Vanguard and the Liberator
by JameyoftheMegacosmos
Summary: Alternate/fusion universe. JIOR lived a peaceful utopian life while the major power blocks battled amongst themselves. That is, until a Dorssian-Tarrak joint operation and Mejare pirates invade their Dyson Sphere. With everyone caught together in the fight for Module 77, one question remains, "Do you resign as a human being?" Two chapters will be made before it's up for grabs.
1. Chapter 1a

_Once again, another offshoot for now._

_If I have time and put more thought into it, I'll write more. But for now, I'll be just doing two chapters. Once those are done, it'll just be out for someone to continue if they wish._

_Even so, have fun._

_It was the Year 71 of the True Calendar._

_Though an original year at first, it became the biggest known to mankind. The year that went down in history as the beginning of what was now known as the Third Galactic Empire. Also known as the Unified Galactic Empire._

_Though colonization of space has already been achieved, the process accelerated after the creation of the Dyson Sphere. Thanks to an artificial sun that provided its power, a near endless amount of humans are able to peacefully live within the far reaches of space. By the time of it's completion, about 70 percent of the human population has left Earth to share the dream._

_However, it's creation gave rise to tensions and fueled the load for an explosive event. One that would change the world and mankind forever._

* * *

"This is Module 77 of Dyson Sphere No.1 of Japan and the Independent Oceanian Republics. Please identify yourselves."

"This is GS-2776, flight 21. Requesting permission to dock."

"Identification successful. Docking permitted. You have two transfer students for Sakamori Academy on board, correct?"

"Affirmative. We also have two additional guests paying a visit to the Sphere. It should also be on the data."

"Information confirmed. They're high-class members of Tarrak, yes?"

"Affirmative."

"Acknowledged. You are clear for docking."

* * *

At the Sakamori Academy, all the crowds gathered around. Everyone was cheering, each for a respective side. One side had most guys cheering for a young school kid, Haruto Tokishima, as a girl named Aina gave him a glass of water while eating a hot dog whole. It took a few seconds, but he managed to swallow it down before continuing onto the next one. On the other side was his competitor, Shoko Sashinami. She was surrounded more by girls with an equal amount of support. The competition itself was neck and neck.

Another student, approached the ongoing competition. "How unsightly." Satomi Renbokoji of the Student Council commented.

"They're in a competition to see who gets to use the school grounds." an associate informed.

Satomi put his hand behind his head. "How petty. Am I really in high school?"

Just then, Haruto choked on one of the hot dogs and coughed it out, needing a moment to breathe. By then, Shoko finished the last of hers and pointed at the sky for her victory. Her crowd cheered while Haruto's groaned in defeat.

As Shoko raised a victory sign, the defeated Haruto turned away. "I told you, I didn't want to do this!"

Kyuma Inuzuka, one of Haruto's friends, crouched down to him. "You can blame the rock-paper-scissors gods for that." But that crushed him even more for his poor talent at that game.

"Statistically," Yusuke Otomaya said on the other side of him. "The odds of the loser coming back in the next round are..."

"Zero!" Shoko declared. "Because when the going gets tough, Haruto gets cold feet!"

"Say the girl who wears weird T-shirts!"

"Eh?" Shoko looked around in an odd look, looking around her while barely looking at her own body. Haruto and couple others noticed her obliviousness as she looked to her friend Marie Nobi.

Everyone pointed out who Haruto was talking about. "It's you, Shoko!"

"EEEHH!?" Shoko raised a hand and immediately slapped Haruto in the check. She turned away red as most of the students left.

Kyuma comforted Haruto as he covered the redness. "Look on the bright side, Haruto. At least we're in a place where competitions can be taken lightly, regardless of any classification."

"Yeah," Yusuke added. "Anywhere else, let's say ARUS and Dorssia or Tarrak and Mejere, and it would be like a football riot!"

"That's another reason why I didn't want to do this!" Haruto exclaimed. "Shouldn't it be a little less about bounds and more of coming together?"

"Relax," Kyuma said to him. "At least the conflict isn't that high."

"Yeah," Aina supported. "Even then, we'll still be your friends."

Haruto sighed in frustration. "Can we just _all_ be friends?"

* * *

As the Dorssian flight ship docked and opened the gates, two JIOR officers came to greet the arrivals. "Welcome to JIOR Module 77 of the Dyson Sphere." When two males came out of the gate, the attendant recognized them. "You two must be the Tarraks."

"Duelo McFile," one of the two spoke, having dark skin and long black hair covering one side of his face. He turned to the more timid light-skinned, yellow-haired Tarrak behind him. "And Bart Garsus. We're here for the Sakamori Academy with the students."

"I see," the attendant confirmed. "Now the weather for today will be-" He paused when a larger number of guys cames from behind the Tarraks. "Wait, weren't there supposed to be only two of you?"

The one in front, a short light gray haired boy quickly took a knife from his sleeve and tossed it like boomerang, cutting the throats of both JIOR attendants. The splatter of blood made Bart cower, but was backed by a blue-haired boy with glasses.

"Relax," the boy confirmed stoically. "You are with your ally Dorssia now, and several of the most experienced fighters ever known."

"Is everyone here, X-eins?" the boy up front said also stoically.

"Yes, L-elf." X-eins turned around. "A-drei? H-Neun? Q-Vier?"

The three respective agents affirmed. While Bart calmed down after a few moments, the gang of intruders proceeded.

"JIOR once again shows how peace makes you soft." the blonde H-Nuen said as he and A-drei looked at the false identities.

"Believe no one else will take advantage of the confusion," L-elf reminded. "And you'll be also be soft."

"What, you're talking the space pirates? Oh, please. I'll ready for them any minute! As for our Tarrak accomplices."

"The new Ikazuchi battleship and Vanguards supporting this mission are experimentally top-secret. They're only in reserve and to be unleashed when in desperation. It would be best if we can make do without them."

"It will be sweet!" Q-Vier said with joy. "I hope they save some of those female pirates just for us!"

"Don't get overjoyed," A-drei warned. "If the reports are true, we should be ready for any kind of situation we're put into."

"Acknowledged." L-elf agreed.

Meanwhile, as the intruders immediately left the station, a sound came from the docking ship. The ceiling collapsed and another male with darker hair fell down from it. Moments later, he got up slowly and stretched his spine.

He shook his head while saying "To think I'd successfully sneak myself into a craft like this unnoticed."

He observed his surroundings, wondering if he was alone. He turned to the hallway where the two attendants were killed and observed the files. Retrieving them, he opened a brochure reading "Sakamori Academy" on it.

After reading a couple pages, the Tarrak looked forward and said, "Well, at least it should be worth the adventure."

* * *

_The balance of power had been kept in check between the Dorssian Military Pact Federation and the Atlantic Ring United States. During colonization, both Dorssia and ARUS expanded their influence through a series of multinational treaties. While ARUS aimed for a more economic approach, Dorssia concentrated itself on the military._

_However, both nations wanted to expand their influence by creating semi-independent nations that worked with them. Dorssia was the first to create such nation, all based on the space colony of Tarrak. Though about all colonists for this puppet nation were male, they were able to reproduce by lifting the bans on cloning. Such methods were considered a controversial issue, especially to ARUS, so it required military protection by Dorssia, becoming the only area where cloning was allowed. Despite being based on a desert planet with little resources, it was designed specifically for new weapons and increased adaptability for soldiers. This was in contrast ARUS's secondary nation, Mejere, which was made in response. The obvious contrast to this colony, influenced by the creation of male-filled Tarrak, was the high concentration of females. As for the counter to cloning, ARUS supervised research and practice of unisexual reproduction. While tensions are already high with ARUS and Dorssia, the smaller colonies of their respective nations had even more difficult ties with one another. Fortunately, Tarrak and Mejere were under indirect control by the two major power blocs, with figurehead leaders nicknamed "Lord Grandpa" and "Lady Grandma" respectively. However, while Dorssia remained hand in hand with the Tarraks, Mejere recently strained relations with ARUS as it moved to gain independence from its creator. Moreover, it consumed resource ferviously and at an alarming rate, spiking piracy within Mejare space and its borders. Despite this disadvantage in foreign policy, similar to Mejere versus Tarrak, ARUS had superior numbers and technology compared alone to Dorssia. Therefore, a balance still continued between the aggressive nations._

_However, our country, Japan and the Independent Oceanian Republics, also known as JIOR, managed neutrality over the years. Adding a limited military force as factor, JIOR and its people have prospered in an era of peace and wealth. And it is thanks to them that the creation of the Dyson Spheres was a possibility, including our school, the Sakamori Academy._

That was the lesson being taught at the same Academy, but not many people were listening. A large amount of people were already on other electronic device unnoticed by the teachers.

"_Tell us what's on the test already!"_ a student sent as a message.

"_What do you expect?" a reply came. "The school just opened three years ago. It would be a total waste for us to go back to Earth."_

"_Hey, the school is very pretty." _

"_At least we have WIRED here. Still, how can I friend someone with it?"_

"_Has anyone heard of the legendary shrine?"_

"_I heard of it. It says that if you confess your love there, it will be granted to you."_

"_Either way, has anyone heard the news?"_

"_Yeah, Dorssia intruded our territory again."_

"_They'll likely settle it by paying us for them to leave."_

"_Err, again? Such losers."_

"_Beats maintaining an army. Less costly, isn't it?"_

"_But then, there are the same instances with Tarrak and the Mejare space piracy."_

"_You're reasoning just summarizes what's wrong with this country!"_

Meanwhile, Haruto was watching all of the chatter during the class lesson. He noticed a message from Kyuma.

"_Hey, Haruto,"_ the message read. "_Aren't you going to confess to Shoko one day?"_

That made Haruto choke and attracted only Shoko. As he took time to breathe, she went to her phone underneath the table.

"_What's wrong?"_ she asked.

"_N-Nothing! It's fine!"_

"_Really?"_

"_Really."_

Of course, Haruto was admittedly lying to her as he read another text from Kyuma.

"_If you don't confess to her now, someone else will. When that happens, you won't have even me to comfort you."_

By then, Shoko popped up to his desk, freaking him out as the class starred.

"You seem to be stalking me lately. What is it, Haruto?"

"I told you, it's nothing!" Haruto pulled his phone away.

Shoko reached out for it. "If it's nothing, then show me it's nothing!"

"I already told you! It's nothing!"

"Then show me!"

Haruto felt safe when his phone was beyond Shoko's reach...only for it to falling into Marie's hands behind him, who tossed it to Shoko. Haruto freaked out greatly as he reached for it back.

"If you don't give me that back, we're finished as friends!"

"Oh, so you favor Tarrak, do you?"

"No!" he shouted disgustedly as the class paid attention. "It's not like that!"

"Then ask me this, why have you been looking at me this whole time?"

Haruto's face turned red in embarrassment. A moment later, he spoke passively. "Well, I was just thinking...that a chick like you should be keeping your mouth shut."

"What? You think I'm a bad speaker?"

"No, not...really…"

"And about me being a chick? As in a hot one?"

"Not...exactly...either..."

Marie predicted his true thoughts. "Kids these days…"

* * *

Classes were over. The sun was set aside Kyuma and Aina, who were walking away from the school.

"You seem to be interested in money nowadays, aren't you?"

"Yep, and someday, I'll probably be one of the richest people in the world."

"Dreaming big, eh?"

"Excuse me, miss." A blonde Dorssian male interrupted, revealing to be H-Nuen. "Can you help us out?"

"If you don't mind, we're here looking for directions." the blue-haired teen named X-eins joined in.

Aina paused in silence as Q-Vier snuck behind them.

"Cute skirt." H-Neun commented. "I must admit, Mejere may have all the pretty girls, but JIOR at least has all the cute ones. I can't even tell which is better!" He felt a nudge by the other guest.

"I'm the one doing the talking."

"Chill out, man! It isn't like we're asking for a dance!"

"Keep your arms and words to yourself," X-eins said. "I prefer doing so at all times."

Kyuma nodded as he stepped up. "So I guess you're all from Dorssia, aren't you? Because Tarraks wouldn't act much like this."

"Only we are," the short-braided A-drei stepped in with a couple others with different uniforms, clearly defining themselves as Tarraks. "Not to worry. We already have what we want, thanks to them." He turned to this comrades with a lower voice. "Please, we should keep contact with the JIORians to a minimum."

"Hey," his blonde ally shouted as he walked away. "You already know the way?"

"The sprinklers." L-elf observed in front of them. "They're dispersed evenly by 13 meters each. But as they approach the building there," he watched the Academy main hall. "the distance between them is shortened to 12.5 meters."

He watched the building carefully. "Judging by the visibility from the windows, there are 40 desks in each classroom. The student body is 480, but the structure of the building is common-layered. In a full load, there's no extra staff to maintain the facility."

"Therefore, our target….is underneath the building."

The blonde Tarrak was stunned by his impossible calculations. "Was he genetically engineered, or is he really that good?"

"He's our boy." the braided boy answered. "Regardless who or what he may be."

Duelo left a smirk at A-drei, but took it back when they started looking at him. The group followed while the local students stood in confusion.

"Who do you think they are?" Aina asked scaredly.

"I don't know," Kyuma said.

"Transfer students?"

"Probably from Dorssia."

"What would they be doing that this time?"

"Again, I don't know."

* * *

Haruto and Shoko were left in the school, within the custodian's room. It was a necessary punishment for interrupting class earlier. Haruto was given the keys and Shoko reached for a broom.

Shoko stopped for moment and glared at him. "You don't have much passion within you!"

"Huh? Why say that?"

"Our competition from earlier. You didn't take it with the intention of winning, did you?"

"It's not like that that," Haruto objected. "It's just...that I wish we lived in a place where we don't have to think of things like competition, winning, and losing. Why couldn't we just share the grounds half and half. I mean, it's a road in between."

Suddenly, the keys in his hand disappeared. He turned to see an unrecognized face startling him.

"Would you use your knife to cut the yolk of your ham and eggs in two? Or even the girl that you love?"

There was dead silence. A handful of other unknown characters were as shocked as he was.

"When it comes to _happiness_," the same boy, L-elf, continued. "There _is no_ road in between."

Haruto reached for the keys in anger. After several failed attempts, L-elf knocked him down on his back. Shoko walked forward.

"Don't Shoko," Haruto ordered her. "This is my work." He watched closely at his attacker, who raised the keys over him.

"Answer this. What would you do if someone attacks you, even if you don't want to fight?"

Haruto had no answer.

"Would you accept defeat and laugh it off like it's nothing?" L-elf squeezed the keys together. "No, there are times you can't ever accept defeat. Dorssia wouldn't, nor would ARUS, Tarrak, or Mejere. Take my advice: If you don't want to accept defeat, then you have no choice but to fight."

A nearby elevator door opened.

"It's time to go." A-drei called out.

L-elf sighed. He walked a few steps before dropping the keys onto the ground. The five Dorssians walked into the elevator. They turned around and nodded to two other visitors and Sakamori students identified as Tarraks. After looking at each other, Haruto stepped in.

"Is there anything we can do?"

"Ah, yes." the long dark-haired Tarrak replied. "We're looking for the medical facilities of this building."

"Oh, so you're doctors for the school?"

"Why, yes." he bowed to him. "Care to know where they are?"

"They're, uh…"

"Just the next right and up the steps on the left." Shoko interrupted in a grumpy mood. "Follow the signs afterward."

"Oh," the Tarrak switched moods and the two walked away. While Haruto sunk into embarrassment again, Shoko's mood became more sour behind him.

* * *

"What the hell was up with that guy?" Shoko's expected outburst came when they reached a shrine on top of a hill. "I'm the kind of person who gets to eat the egg white first! And even so, the ham is the real star of the plate!"

"Yes," Haruto agreed while he continued sweeping. "The ham is key."

"And Haruto was the one who got knocked down?" Kyuma asked the worried Aina.

"That's what I heard."

"What Haruto said was nothing wrong!" Shoko continued to speak out of proportion. "He had a point! That guy was Dorssian, not Tarrak, so what's _his_ problem!?"

Kyuma dodged as she slammed her broom next to him. "Watch it!"

"What do you mean, 'Watch it'!? I'm mad!"

"Thanks," Haruto said to everyone's surprise. "Because you're mad when I would be, we understand how each other. It makes me feel better that way."

"That's…" Shoko paused. "That's what friends are for. No wonder why you usually don't get mad at anything."

Haruto chuckled in agreement.

"On another note," Kyuma added. "What about those two Tarraks you ran into?"

"That's also what I'm mad about, too." Shoko declared. "One who would just walk away after helping him get directions without saying anything back!? Uggh, no wonder why Tarrak and Mejere's policies are so defective! At least JIORians know their manners better!"

"They sounded like they were new doctors coming to the school." Haruto implied. "But I didn't find anything about it on the school network. And the fact they were communicating with those Dorssians..."

"What year even are they?" Kyuma wondered. "And how or why did they come here?"

"Your answer…" Haruto said. "Is as good as mine."

* * *

The five Dorssian agents waited silently within the elevator. As they checked for any cameras, X-eins worked on the control panel. They descended the the usual distance, expecting them to hit the bottom floor soon.

Meanwhile, Q-vier spoke out. "Do you think we'll get to kill those Tarraks?"

"Only if they are in danger of spreading information about this operation." L-elf answered. "Knowing the nature of those two, the only one willing to spill it out would be Bart. But he knows as little about this operation as possible and that excludes our actual objective. The same goes with Duelo, even though he's more trusted."

"As long as they stay in one isolated place and don't separate," X-eins said while at his work. "They should be quiet during the mission."

"And if they don't," Q-vier pleaded. "Can I kill them!?"

"That's for Cain to decide." A-drei informed. "He knows their position here is to become special passengers and reinforce our cover. Unless we are given the order, he'll take care of it himself." He turned away at the disappointed Q-vier.

That of which reminded him of the group's disappointment with L-elf. "I thought you knew we were supposed to keep local contact to minimum."

L-elf looked away, not wanting to see them. He couldn't help it; the idea of someone sharing space. Such naivety. He didn't even care how right the kid was or how supported, but he knew the real truth about the world. You can't just talk with people and share something that both people want. You have to fight for it.

His chain of thought broke as the elevator stopped and the doors opened.

"We're in." X-eins declared. The agents looked through the elevator entrance as the multi-layered blast doors opened one by one.

"Now," L-elf reached into a pocket. "Time to give the signal."

* * *

The Sakamori students were about to finish sweeping the shrine area. Haruto was very close to where everyone hung their confessions. Looking at the ground, he was unaware how close he was. Nor did he realize he was about to knock one of the messages down.

The message falling to the ground gave him a small shock. The message didn't mean much to him, but it was still good to leave it up nice like the others. Before putting it back, he wanted to read the message: _May my one love come true._ The message made him shiver, reminding him his hidden feelings and the messages that sent the him and Shoko here in the first place. But at the same time, it was heart-warming.

Shoko snuck up from behind. "Are you also making a wish, Haruto?" She saw Haruto panic as he shook his head and placed the message behind him.

She focused more on the the shrine than Haruto as she explained, "They say if you confess your love here, it will definitely be returned to you. It's a very legendary shrine." She giggled for a bit. "It's odd, too. Schools that were built only three years ago don't have such legends, don't they?"

She paused as she saw Haruto looking at her.

"Shoko…"

* * *

Outside of the JIORian Dyson Sphere, a large number of Dorssian warships, namely Walkit-class Heavy Cruisers are in position. Aside one cruiser was a blocky Tarrak battleship with some escort ships and a number of humanoid mecha patrolling the area.

"We received a message from L-elf," A Dorssian reported on the same crusier. "Bats fly across the cloudy sky."

"That's the colonel's star pupil for you…" the Cruiser's helmswoman Kriemhild said to herself.

"Good," the so-called colonel, the eyepatched Cain Dressel, relaxed. "Now we're clear for both Dorssia and Tarrak forces." He turned to the helmswoman. "And the pirate activity?"

"They're still nowhere to be found and Mejare activity appears clear. Right now, the Ikazuchi and numerous squadrons of Vanguards are on standby, just in maximum range of the Dyson Sphere's sensors."

"Well, then. Contact the Ikazuchi and the Vanguard squad leaders."

A screen came up showing a bald man with a Tarrak uniform, showing signs of political power, and its crew within the bridge along with several Vanguard-piloting officers.

"Prime Minister." Cain began. "The Karlstein graduates just infiltrated Module 77 and located their target. It also looks like the Tarrak guests did their job well."

"Understood," the bald Prime Minister complied. "When do we expect them back?"

"As soon as they are found, you'll have the liberty do what you want with them. But if they've spilt some confidential information, or worse, we'll have no choice but to terminate them as traitors."

"With pleasure. You have our authority to treat them whatever you wish."

"As for the Vanguard pilots, here are your roles in this." Cain changed the subject as he uploaded data and space maps. The Dorssians and Tarraks could see the plans and multiple dots on the images. "These are your given positions for the Ikazuchi and Vanguard units. As soon this message ends, Operation Virgin Road will commence. While a number may be joining us in our mission against the Sphere, your orders are to simply and quickly take these posts. All assigned areas for the participating Tarraks are places where our other enemies will likely invade and disrupt the mission. For those outside the Sphere, you'll have a couple Dorssian cruisers and their Waffes to assist you. Prepare all weapons and be ready to attack at the immediate sight of a Mejere or even an ARUS unit."

"Yes, Chancellor Cain. At least we'll test our new weapons against those blasted pirates and show the women our true strength!" He said to himself before returning to the conversation, "Pilots get ready for combat! You know what to do!"

"On it!" Some of the Tarrak crew and pilots complied. "We'll make sure those female scum don't get past us!"

"Acknowledged," Cain chuckled for a moment. "Now prepare for combat."

The whole Tarrak crew volunteered to shout, "Blitzendegen!"

"Blitzendegen." Cain repeated respectfully, shortly before he turned off the screens. "Send a message to the fatherland: Commence Operation Virgin Road now!"

"Blitzendegen!"

* * *

Shoko freaked out for a moment as she covered her head. She called out to let herself relax and raised her arms down when she was ready.

"G-Go ahead."

Haruto felt a little warm on the inside. If Haruto was going to confess, perhaps now was the time.

"Shoko," she started. "The truth is...I-I'm in-"

Before Haruto could say anything else, a large explosion occurred. The ground shook and the entire Module dimmed into darkness.

_That's it for now. Once I get the second part done, the path of the story will probably be up for grabs._


	2. Chapter 1b

A large hole was blasted into the dome of Module 77. Dorssian and Tarrak forces entered through the hole and hovered above the JIORian city within. The legless Dorssian mecha moved forward and through the skies while several Vanguards descended. A number of JIOR fighters emerged from waters and fired a few laser bursts at the Dorssian intruders. The Dorssians evaded the fire and shot back at the retaliating squadron, destroying at least one fighter with their gatling gun arms. The JIORians and Dorssians flew neck and neck as the they fired at each other by the sides.

The humanoid Tarrak mecha watched the JIORian civilians as they sliced cut through a couple fighters. One Vanguard landed onto the ground, nearly crushing several civilians as they tried to run away. A few rounds were fired at it, unable to do much damage to its durability, but still knocking it off balance. Another unit saw a set of tanks engaging them. Thanks to its small size and high mobility, it evaded two more shots while the other shrugged off the barrage. The second crashed onto one tank and jammed a combat knife beside it.

Several students, including Yusuke, ran to get a closer look at the invaders. The geek of the students identified them as standard Waffe units. There were different types of Waffes and the best way to identify them were to check the head. Since one of them had a head than a visor, it was a manned Waffe accompanied by unmanned ones.

Multiple anti-air turrets emerged from the ground, but the Waffes set their shields in front to block the artillery fire. They revealed themselves to fire a cannon on the bottom of their main bodies and destroy the turrets. Several Vanguards also descended in this area, using their melee weapons to attack the AA guns and the nearby locals.

The Sakamori Academy was taking much of the heat as stray artillery fire bombarded the area. Haruto and the others from the shrine rushed to the main school, seeing the battle going overhead. With a combined Dorssian-Tarrak force terrorizing the area, they could only declare one thing: this was war.

* * *

As the Dorssian cruisers bombarded the Dyson spheres, the Vanguards took position and joined into the fight. In Cain's eye, it was hardly called a fight, it was pure slaughter.

"Dyson Sphere's military command center has been destroyed." An officer from the command ship reported. "Hostile JIOR forces are dwindling down to a minimum."

"With all communications to their own homeland blocked," Cain said to Kriemhild. "They're merely scattered militants and civilians. All of which are harmless or easy prey."

"Tarrak is doing its job well, too. Though we should have them not waste attacking civilians and more about occupying the Sphere."

"That is nothing to worry about. Their main culture is doing a lot with a little. All responsibility of their actions will go to them only. They can be tried for war crimes after the intended occupation."

"And the Karlstein students?"

"They will be fine. After all, they're trained for this kind of situation."

"Colonel, new enemy contacts detected!" an officer shouted. He projected a visual for four shiny, sleek ships, one of which was different from the others. "Mejere pirate fleets incoming! Approximately four large cruisers with a heavily customized one in the back! They're closing directly onto the primary target, Module 77!"

"So they arrived," Cain acknowledged softly before giving orders. "Contact all Vanguard squadrons in the area, as well as the Ikazuchi!"

The respective characters showed up on the screen.

"I'm sure you can now see the pirate fleets have arrived."

"We see them on the sensors," the Prime Minister groaned in anger. "Damn women cam earlier than expected!"

"Colonel, looks like some of the ships are breaking off." an officer notified. "They're headed for the Ikazuchi as well!"

Upon hearing the news, a crewman near the Tarrak Prime Minister shouted, "How do they know about the Izakuchi!?"

Cain noticed the Minister's glared at whoever said that, but continued on. "It doesn't matter. That's exactly why we got you train for a while, isn't it?" His question was answered with the Minister's uneasy nod. "Intercept with all nearby forces! We'll bring you forces to assist!"

As the officers complied, he thought to himself, Sorry, girls. This time, we get the prize. One that is great value to us.

* * *

Duelo crouched under a desk, trying to pull Bart out.

"Come on! We got hurry up!" he shouted. "This is no time to be cowering!"

"No! Just leave me!"

"If I leave you here, you'll end up getting blasted!"

Bart jerked into Duelo's side, seeing a Waffe through the windows. He immediately crawled from the desk as Duelo watched. They jumped out of the way as stray bullets fired through the windows and shredded their original position. After this moment of life-threatening thinking, Duelo grabbed Bart's hand and ran as more bullets and laser blasts bombarded the room.

"What's going on!?" Bart shouted. "Weren't we supposed to be just guests for transfer students?! Please tell me those were really transfer students!"

"I doubt that. For all we know, those 'students' were looking for something. Why else else did they tell us to leave them in at elevator?"

"So they used us in order to start a war!? I didn't sign up for this!"

"No, we volunteered to do this."

As they ran out from the school, another explosion blasted a hole in the dome. Bart covered his face as he slowly looked upward. The two Tarraks could see several more ships coming through. A couple large ships entered the Module as multiple fighters zipped from behind. The smaller ships zoomed over the school where the Tarraks could see them. Observing the hollow sections, the sleek and shiny design, and the weapons they fired at the combined Dorssian-Tarrak force, they recognized the familiar craft.

"The Mejere!?" Bart shouted scared. "Now the Mejere are in this battle!?"

"Not exactly the Mejere," Duelo reminded him. "Those students mentioned there was a possibility of space pirates coming."

"So they did all of this just take this place before Mejere!?"

"Don't ask me! For all we know, they want something that they didn't tell us about!"

But the question is what? What the hell were they all after?

* * *

Down in a research facility, a large machine was stored in an underground facility. It had a humanoid shape with red and white colors. The center had a spherical engine, well protected and glowing a bright green light.

Inside the main seat was a module showing a young blonde girl in pink clothes. She was drifting around in a sleep-like stance while waiting. Waiting for someone to come in and decide to whether or not to be its pilot.

The girl woke up when communications were heard, but she was alarmed by something else. It's as if she could feel a presence nearby, not a pilot, but another machine. Something much bigger, like one that could fit into a battleship. She recognized what it was, but didn't want to be so sure.

Could it be? she thought. Paxis?

The activity going on inside the mech as ignored by the scientists working outside. They were seriously alerted by the presence of Dorssian forces attacking the Module.

"Why the hell are the Dorssians attacking us!?" one scientists shouted.

"Tarrak forces are devastating the city and its populace! Mejere space pirates are entering, too!"

"Can we even get a signal to the homeland? All of the defenders are getting blasted! And so many people…"

"Why!? JIOR is a neutral country!"

"Why not use the Valvrave?" a team member requested.

"Will you take responsibility for it?" another objected.

Before they could say anymore, a gun fired through the room. One by one, each of the scientists were shot as they tried to flee. A door opened to show the Dorssian students entering the secret facility.

"Okay," H-Neun said, surprised by L-elf's quick kills. "Now that was quite impressive."

"He hogged all the fun again!" Q-vier complained. "No fair!"

L-elf ignored the comment as he approached the Valvrave mecha. He observed the outstanding design of the humanoid robot. With a unique feel and imagining energy flowing into it, he could easily predict its true power.

This may not do much, L-elf thought. This will do for now. Another step to my goals…

Something moved before he could get on. A lift was activated and the platform ascended to the surface. L-elf clenched a fist at this sudden event, being so close to achieve victory.

A shot attracted L-elf, spotting Q-vier with a gun at a now dead scientist. "This one's still alive!" he called out.

But that didn't make much difference to him. Unless they were still able to reach the mecha before someone else did, they had failed.

* * *

Haruto and the others were close to the pool when they saw a fleet of hollow ships hover over the school to join the dogfight. They could easily see what this meant.

"Dreads!?" Haruto guessed. "Now the Mejere are entering this fight?"

"So much for today's competition!" Kyuma exclaimed.

"But why? Why is this happening!?"

The ground shook again. This wasn't an explosion; it felt like something was opening or erupting underneath. After regaining balance, the students turned around to its origin. What stood behind him was a large machine with green wings, currently lying down. Emerging from the pool, water poured to reveal the entire structure.

A robot? Haruto thought. He saw humanoid mecha like this, but didn't see a real one in person. A Dread attempted to fly towards the mecha, but it was intercepted and shot down by a Waffe. Seeing the action, he wondered, Is this what they're all after?

"Shoko!" Saki, another girl in their group, shouted.

Haruto turned to Shoko, running down a trench with a wrecked car.

"There's someone in that car over there! I got to help him!"

"Shoko!" Haruto called to her. "Come back!"

A cannon shot struck near Shoko, covering Haruto's view of her.

"SHOKO!"

Another set of stray fire bombarded the same area as he froze in position. The debris cloud blew in the students' direction, covering them in dust and knocking them down on the ground. As the dust cleared, they rose up to see a number of craters where the trench was.

"Shoko…" Haruto walked to the scene while covering his injured left arm. "Shoko, this is no time to be kidding around. Come out, please! Shoko!" No response. "Shoko!"

The other students called out to him. "We got to go, Haruto!"

"Shoko!"

"Haruto, she's-" Aina tried to call out.

"I can't leave here without Shoko!"

"Face it!" Saki said. "You have to accept it, Haruto! She's dead!"

A number of shots continued to fire above them. Haruto slowly looked up to the craft fighting one another. He stared at one ship he suspected to have fired those shots. It was a Dread fighter he got a glimpse of by its shadow, trying to engage a Waffe that fired the cannon near Shoko. Clenching his fists and screaming at the aircraft suspects, he ran up to the mecha behind them.

Haurto climbed up a ladder and walked to the cockpit of the mecha.

"I'll make them pay..."

Kyuma ran to the ladder. "Haruto, it's not safe there! Just wait until the other adults arrive!"

Ignoring their warning, Haruto fell into the main seat. He wasn't sure how it exactly operated, but she looked around for buttons and sticks.

"I'll make them pay," he repeated as he found a possible on switch. "I'll make them pay!"

The main screen turned on and everything else later. He could see everything around him, the school, the frame that kept the robot down, and his friends below running away as the robot suddenly broke free from its cage.

A Waffe noticed the machine standing and flew towards it. Another Dread appear behind it, but was distracted by one of its unmanned Waffes. Haruto struggled with the controls, but the robot didn't move. The Waffe struck the center of the machine as he continued with no luck.

"Come on! You're a robot, aren't you? I owe this for Shoko! Please move!"

He could see something on the interface, naming the mecha "Valvrave" and having a young girl representing a question. It said "Do you resign as a human being?"

"I have no time to answer a question! Just move!" Haruto shouted at it. "That Dread…The Mejere. The Tarraks. The Dorssians. They've all killed Shoko! I need to make them pay!"

* * *

Inside a secret room, a young girl named Akira watched the action through the school cameras. The entire system was hacked a while ago to get the feed. It took her quick eyes to find the robot. Once she got the video recorded, she opened her main account on WIRED.

Being a master hacker and creator of the multinational social media network, she was in full control. Like usual media networks, it helped her pay for her own expenses, which was mere junk food. It was the only place she could call home, though she kept laying low. That still didn't mean she was scared enough to not share any videos streamed at the school.

"And stream…" Akira entered as she opened up a few more videos.

There wasn't much footage about Dorssia's declaration of war. Several news stations reported that sources of information were spotty. Perhaps they blocked all communications so JIOR couldn't respond. But that still didn't mean they had to block everything related to JIOR. It was no matter. Since Akira's WIRED was entirely secure, there was no way it could be hacked or jammed.

The video appeared on the social network. Akira tapped onto her computer to spread the video elsewhere, especially the news station. Already, people sent comments from all over the world and the other Dyson Spheres. Everyone was surprised to see the new robot that came out of nowhere. A number even commented if it would stand a chance against the Dorssian craft that was pounding on it.

All they to do was watch until the end.

* * *

"Don't you have any weapons?" Haruto said to the Valvrave. "You're a weapon, aren't you!?"

A strike from the Waffe's claw threw him to the side. His phone fell out while the alerts were filled with messages. The cockpit itself was full of warning messages as the Waffe beat the helpless mecha.

As the mecha began to crack outside, Haruto stared at the screen with the given question. "It is necessary to answer the following questions before using the Valvrave: Do you resign as a human being?" Resign as a human being? He never wanted that. Who knows what'll happen to him afterward? Would be fused into the mecha? Would he turn into something different? Humanoid or not? All he wanted to do was to pilot the thing and avenge Shoko. But this kind of cost? That was too much for him.

"Am I beaten?" He crunched up in fear. "Is this the end of me? Dying without avenging anyone? Not even destroying anyone? Not even destroying one thing...even the Dread?"

Recalling all her memories of Shoko, he remembered something she said to him. "You didn't intend to win, did you?" Seeing himself in that position, he understood what she meant. How he refused to take certain measures, even if they were necessary to achieve his goals.

He afterward recalled another memory from the Dorssian moments later. "If you don't want to accept defeat, then you have no choice but to fight."

If that was the case, then…

"I can't let them win," he said to himself. "So I'll fight!"

Below the question, he tapped "Yes". The girl congratulated Haruto as it introduced the new Valvrave mecha. As loading screens checked all of the systems, something surrounded Haruto's body and shoot two injectors into his neck.

It took a few seconds and there were bleeding marks on the sides, but he found himself ready to operate the mecha. He didn't know what happened to him. He kept his body and didn't notice many changes. The only thing that did change was the robot's colors and glowing green wings. But that didn't matter anymore. He can now fight and that's all what counts.

Seeing the Waffe, his first move was to destroy it. Grabbing the controls, he wasn't sure how the piloting worked. When he thought about moving the machine, the arm quickly grabbed the Waffe by the head. He imagined crushing the Waffe with its bare hands, which the robot did. The headless body fell down and exploded underneath as scraps of metal and blood dripped from the Valvrave's hands.

The explosion attracted the other factions that were fighting amongst one another. A manned Waffe noticed two of its unmanned mecha shutting down and crashing into the ocean below. It sent its own unmanned Waffes to attack it, but all the shots were deflected with little effort.

Haruto wondered if the Valvrave could fly due to the wings. The answer came when it sprouted its wings fearlessly at the attackers and flew straight at them. He prepared the hands again for another attack, which emitted crystal red energy. Closing in on the Waffes, the Valvrave launched slashes of same the crystalline energy that only blocked the bullets. When they fired their underbelly cannons, Haruto rolled and dodged the powerful attacks. He sent another slash that knocked one Waffe away before releasing a small sickle below the shoulder. He took the sickle and charged at the unmanned Waffe. With one strike at the head, the Dorssian craft exploded. He turn left to the other Waffe, bringing its shoulder mounted shields to the front. Haruto flipped to left the Waffe pass, then struck it from behind and destroyed it.

Haruto stopped to notice the amazing skill and how he could use all of its weapons. It wasn't like he piloted a weapon before. Maybe the injection gave him all the information he needed to pilot the thing? Or maybe there something else besides him that was controlling it?

A barrage of lasers, bullets, and missiles came from the side. He saw a squadron of Dreads attacking him, but the one he wanted to fight was nowhere to be found. He spun to evade the fire and charged forward, but the Dreads broke formation and turned back. The Valvrave suddenly accelerated to a speed comparable to the Dreads. It eventually caught up to two Dreads where he could strike them. The speed was amazing, even though that was Dread major advantage over its adversaries. They moved in random directions to break free, but Haruto caught one on the back by clapping the Valvrave's hands onto the tail fins. The struck Dread moved out of control and slammed onto the other Dread as it spiraled and crashed onto the dome of the Module. Another Dread of a strange model struck him by the sides, but he launched another slash to scare it off.

Another wave of fire came, except from a Mejere pirate ship that entered the Module. Haruto evaded the fire again and blocked the shots with the slashes, but these were stronger than the previous attacks. Not wanting to fight it where stray fire can hit anywhere, he descended back to a safer location.

* * *

The lone Tarrak ran through the forests of Module 77 and came to a cliff.

Sneaking into the place, using a Dorssian-controlled spacecraft, was suicidal. Running during a firefight between multiple sides was just as dangerous.

But one thing kept him doing so anyway. He noticed the green and red robot flying all over the place, tearing apart the Dorssians and Mejere alike. Whatever it was, not only was it apparently fight for JIOR, but it was an amazing thing he saw.

Several Vanguards emerged from the ground and were accompanied by another squadron of Waffes. The JIORian robot quickly turned as a Vanguard tried striking it with an ax, but it surprisingly withstood it like nothing happened. The robot retaliated with a punch that smashed through the chest and destroyed it. Two Waffes fired on opposite sides, but the mecha flew upwards, causing them to destroy each other.

As the robot hovered above the Tarrak, a Vanguard approached behind it. The robot took a hidden sickle and sliced the head of its attacker. The remaining part of the body fell as the pilot plunged first to his death. The headless mecha crashed onto the ground, near the witnessing Tarrak as he landed backwards.

The same Tarrak felt a lot of vibrations from his phone as he reached for it.

"Hibiki Tokai, you have 100+ alerts on WIRED."

He quickly viewed the messages as it showed a video of the whole battle scene. He saw all the fights going on exactly what happened and still streaming. He searched the video if there was any instance of him, but there was nothing.

Sighing, Hibiki looked at the remains of the Vanguard mecha that were still one piece. He was more than eager to pilot it, but only if it still worked. Maybe he could be the one to take down the strange JIORian robot. It was a dream of a third-class Tarrak, since not many get that kind of opportunity. But he also didn't want to fly it while still being exposed.

Another explosion distracted him as the same robot destroyed another Waffe. Three Vanguards of different weapons charged on the side with different weapons. It effortlessly countered by creating a crystal red slash across the Tarrak mecha and destroying them all at once. Another Vanguard suicidally attacked from behind with an ax. The JIORian mecha grabbed its head, ripped it from its body, and tossed to the ground below. It sliced through vertically where the pilot was and destroyed the attacker while the head crashed down near Hibiki.

This time, Hibiki jumped away so the shock did thrown him down like before. Seeing the head still intact, Hibiki could easily picture the spare mecha pieces coming together just fine. Now, of course, he'll need something actually put it back together, which was something he didn't have.

A cannon shot from another Waffe interrupted Hibiki as it crashed right next to him. The explosion sent shrapnel all over Hibiki's body and the force pushed him off the cliffs.

* * *

Haruto was close to being finished with the Dorssians and Tarraks as he eliminated the other Waffe. He searched the area to find one final manned Waffe, knowing it to be one of Shoko's presumable killers. As it fired its guns at the Valvrave, Haruto quickly circled around it. He clung onto a bridge post and jumped right after the enemy craft.

As the Waffe moved backward, Haruto looked to the right to find a sword on its hip. As the Valvrave approached the backing shooter, it took the sword and prepared to unsheath it. Two final Vanguards passed the Waffe and attacked with two long weapons, being blocked by both of the Valvrave's Waffe fired its underbelly cannon, but the Valvrave flipped while shooting two slashes of red light. The slashes cut through both Vanguards and forced the Waffe to block with its shields. Haruto took the opportunity to circle the Waffe in red light, confusing the pilot and trapping it.

And now. Haruto took the unsheathed sword as he faced the now terrified Waffe. He started by slicing a shield off, then a few times through the main body and head before it exploded into flames and sparkles. I finally avenged you, Shoko.

Not yet at least. Haruto noticed several Dreads and Mejere pirate ships still attacking him. They probably waited so they can deal the killing blow, he thought, since he was already getting tired. He was also unsure how long the Valvrave can withstand their fire. Even so, he had to continue fighting and charged towards the space pirates. Once again, most of the Dreads scattered, but a couple still flew towards him.

He noticed one of the fleeing Dreads to be his sworn target. And now it was her turn. He two shot two more slashes at two Dreads directly. One quickly moved away and avoided the laser balst, but another crashed into the red crystal and exploded. Haruto boosted the Valvrave to charge at the Dreads, but they made a drastic turn around. It fired its weapons behind him, including a few homing ones, as he tried to evade the fire. He turned around as the Dread flipped mistakenly and attacked the Valvrave head on. Haruto moved for a quick kill with the crystal slashes, but it evaded his attacks again. However, it made a descent below the Valvrave, in which Haruto made a quick flip to make a mark on top. The Dread shook a while as it regained control and he descended to pursue it.

Catching the sight of another Dread taking him head on, he stopped and reached for a sickle. The Dread went a higher altitude, but Haruto was more prepared for this. This time, he shoot a slash early on a predicted path, cutting the Dread by the bottom when it came into contact. This Dread kept flying, but it was smoking and losing altitude. The last place Haruto could see it was by a beach shore near some cliffs. There were no explosions or smoke, so he concluded the pilot crash landed. He thought maybe if the pilot was still alive, when this was over, he could ask what was with the whole battle. By then, Haruto found the remaining Dreads fleeing back through the holes in Module 77.

One ship, however, fired a barrage from behind. It was a standard Mejere cruiser, but the same warship that attacked him earlier. He was already tired of fighting. And sick of their senseless battle for something they can no longer get, if their main target was the Valvrave like the Dorssians and Tarraks. Unsheathing the sword, he hoped to settle it with one blow. The pirate ship fired a barrel-shaped barrage at the Valvrave as it completely evaded it attacks. It turned and changed altitude in hopes of escaping while Haruto approached it. Facing it head on, Haruto raised the sword directly above the ship's hull and zoomed past it.

Haruto looked up to see the little damage done to the blade, then behind to the ship he just cut. There was difference to see at first, as if he just missed his target. Moments later, he saw the entire split vertically in half as it crashed down into the ocean.

He sighed with relief...and in despair. He didn't get all of his killers; the Dread still escaped. But he was still able to defeat the Dorssian-Tarrak force as most of the Dreads involved in the attack retreated. It was wasn't enough to satisfy his desire for revenge for Shoko, but enough he can live for now. The thoughts filled his mind as the Valvrave continued flying towards the school, just where he wanted to return.

As the Valvrave left, the remains of the sliced ship exploded, sending a skyscraping splash of water into the air.

* * *

The cockpit window of the downed Dread busted open. A short light-blue haired Mejere pilot crawled from its seat and fell to the ground. She took heavy breaths as she jerked for anyone around. Finding a set of trees and rubble, she rushed over with whatever strength she had. Taking cover behind a collapsed tree, she spent a few more seconds to relax after such a life-threatening event.

She and the others were given reports there was something going on in this specific Module. Predicting it to be a weapon, they thought is was necessary to get it before the others did. But they never thought it would be some kind of advanced robot. One that was seemingly invincible to the Dorssians, Tarraks, and skilled Mejere pilots alike.

A vibration came in her pocket. She picked up a phone to find messages on the screen.

"Meia Gisborn, you have 1,000+ alerts on WIRED."

Annoying. Meia didn't want to get the application. But she was endlessly begged by her wingmen and got it to shut them up. She jumped to the alerts, hoping they're calls to see if she was okay.

No, it was much worse. They were comments and messages from other places the same girls begged her to watch. Endless comments poured as she had little time to read them.

"They did it!" one message said. "I can't believe they actually did it!"

"That was awesome!"

"Not bad."

"That's the power of co-gender!"

"Wicked sick!"

"Payback's a bitch!"

"Hell yeah!"

"Sure taught Tarrak a lesson."

"You all see the news?"

"Yeah! And it was insane!"

"COOL!"

"Where did that robot come from?"

"Who cares!? Sure handed it to those Dorssians and Tarraks!"

"Three armies at the same time!? EPIC!"

"JIOR is the house now!"

"Doesn't look JIORian to me."

"w00t!"

"Take that, you sexist scumbags!"

"Was that for real?"

"I got the video! Here!"

"No space pirate will mess with them now!"

"There it is! Right now!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, YEAHHHH!"

The ground rumbled when a loud landing came behind her. She looked up to see the exact same robot that brought her down. Finding a set of rocks for better cover, she rushed behind them.

Past the rocks, she saw another corpse on her left. A short, black haired boy, looking like a Tarrak. He looked as if he fell off from the cliff. However, he would have left scrapes or injuries, for which he had none.

Meia turned around and saw the robot crouched down. It had no lights on and Meia concluded it was turned off. The cockpit opened up to reveal the main pilot...

...to be a little kid. Meia put her phone forward to check the messages again.

"It's Haruto!"

"Who?"

"Haruto Tokishima!"

"That was the guy this morning, right?"

"That's my friend!"

"Oh my god! No way!"

"He's the kid next door!"

"Amazing! When did he learn to pilot a robot!?"

"Thank you, Haruto-san!"

"A kid was piloting that!?"

"He has to be Japanese!"

"Why was he piloting it?"

"Awesome! Sakamori Academy is sure famous now!"

"Man, I didn't realize…"

Haurto Tokishima, Meia looked up the name and information about Tokishima Haruto. Birthdate: October 15. Height: 173 cm. Blood-type: O Gender: Male. Second Year Student of the Sakamori Academy. Student ID: B0539

More messages poured onto the side as his number of friends rose to the millions.

"He looks pretty cute!"

"Let's friend him!"

"JIOR's secret weapon! Haruto Tokishima and his robot!"

"Haruto!"

"His name is Tokishima."

"Whoa!"

"He was the one who lost the previous competition, right?"

"You did it, Haruto! You beat them! Tarrak, Dorssia, Mejere, all of them!"

But Haruto wasn't happy about it. Meia heard him weeping a little on top of the robot.

"Shoko…" He bursted into tears on top of the robot. Maybe that's what he was trying to do. To avenge someone lost to him. Shoko didn't sound like a guys name, more of a girl's name, which made sense as JIORian.

When she looked back to her phone, the streaming on her phone stopped. Maybe the video ended from there? Or the Dorssians cut the broadcast? Even so, it was no longer needed. She no longer wanted to read anymore of it turned the phone off.

Meia didn't want to even look at Haruto anymore. It was despicable to be beaten so easily by guy. No, it was utterly humiliating! An experienced space pirate girl like her being taken down. Not only that, but she was by some clueless ameteur schoolboy from a nation inexperienced with war. For everyone to see? That altogether sunk her mood to a record point.

She also couldn't stay here any longer. It was unknown if her allies made it out okay. Since they all had WIRED, she bet they'd all say the same things. Maybe all of them. Dita, she was sure of.

She could hear some kind of lift activating on the robot. Haruto was descending down, wiping the tears off his eyes.

Perhaps, she thought. This will be my chance.

It wasn't a chance anymore. She could see it when Haruto encountered another boy who looked Dorssian.

"Such a bad joke, isn't it?" Haruto said, as if they knew each other. "You were right. There is no world without competition."

Obviously, Meia said overwatching them. You just experienced it!

"So I want to ask you. Who are you?" the exact same question she wanted to ask.

"Dorssian Special Armed Forces, Karlstein Graduate, L-elf."

Meia raised her eyes by that name, then squinted them. She recognized the name before. And that was not good news for her, her crew, or the JIORian boy.

That was easily understandable when L-elf rammed a knife through Haruto and shot him several times to ensure his death.

"I win again, Lieselotte."

He must've had similar reasons to the Haruto kid. Lieselotte was undoubtedly another girl's name, just something more unique. More the reason for her detesting of men, not getting their reasons for fighting.

She still didn't want L-elf to win that easily. If he got the robot, it would be the end of the balance between the power blocs. And since it will favor Dorssia, it will also be for Tarrak. Breaking her cover, she ran towards L-elf in hopes of stopping him.

She ceased running when Haruto unexpectedly rose from the ground. He was covered in a black aura and was staring at his intended killer. L-elf only had time to see behind before Haruto wrapped around him and...bit his neck? After a loud scream of pain by L-elf, both boys collapsed in front of the robot.

Meia froze at first, but shook it off. Stories of vampires were mere fiction to her, even though she saw a similar case. She was unsure whether it was part of the robot or something else. She snapped of it, as it was something she can figure out later.

What mattered now was taking this robot. At least before any Dorssians or Tarraks do. It was too dangerous to have it fall into her enemies' hands.

She raised up to a communicator.

"This is Meia. Is anyone there?"

A response came quickly.

"MEIA! You're alive!"

She recognized the cheerful voice. "Yes, it's me, Dita. What about the others? Including the Commander?"

"We're here with you," an elderly woman spoke from the communicator. "We're not ready to die yet. But we're still not finished yet."

Meia sighed in relief. "Maybe it will be soon. Did you see the footage on WIRED?"

"Of course, we did!" Another voice came. "We saw the whole thing you getting shot down! We thought you were dead!"

"I'm fine and so is my Dread," Meia assured. But now, she went more serious. "Look, we can't talk longer, but I have the JIORian weapon right by me. The pilot's currently knocked out."

"You are what!?"

"I'm by the robot. There won't be much time, but I'll using that as my escape."

"There's too many Dorssains around, Meia. We'll send Jura and the others to escort you."

"I'll be fine, Captain. I'll meet up with you later."

"Meia-" she already shut off her communicator before her "Captain" could say anything. Searching around for anyone else, she broke from her cover and dashed to the robot.

Meia stopped when she heard something behind her. It was a Tarrak boy, the same one she found by the cliffs. He also had the same auras as Haruto. And had an X-scar mark and sharp teeth.

Now him? What the hell went on in this place!?

She went into a defensive stance, remembering her combat methods from her past. But the hostile Tarrak advanced with a move she was unprepared for. He grabbed hold of both wrists, rendering her unable to attack, launched himself at her and sunk his teeth into her neck.

"EEYYYAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"


End file.
